In addition, this term we are focussing on student attendance and punctuality. We have put in place a new system to address student lateness to class which includes following up on lateness with caregivers when necessary. We would appreciate you talking to your students and supporting them in getting to all classes on time. As Principal it is a privilege to recognise the achievements of our students in NCEA. Once again, our senior students have excelled with high levels of attainment. A 90% pass-rate for our Level 2 students is a fine example of the levels of engagement that students demonstrate consistently and is a testament to their determination, drive and perseverance.

Our congratulations to all our students who participated in these examinations and achieved their personal best.

Later in this term we will be starting a new building development in the Carroll O'Donovan area. A new Food Technology room will be built, and other spaces will be redeveloped to maximise the space usage and modernise them according to new Ministry guidelines. Whilst this is very exciting, it will mean that for some of Term 1 and all of Term 2 we will have builders on site and classes will be relocated to other parts of the school. We appreciate that this will be an inconvenience for both staff and students, but the result will be well worth it. We aim to serve our current and future students with the best possible setting for their learning.

We welcome a number of new staff to Sacred Heart College this year as well as role changes for some staff. We congratulate Mrs Maria Kerr on her appointment as Assistant Principal, Mrs Briony Hibberd as HOD Health and Physical Education, Ms Katie McCarthy as Assistant HOD Health and Physical Education, and Miss Charlotte Booker Co-Assistant HOD Mathematics. New to our school this year are Deborah Blythen and Tia Brown in Science, Lucy Paul and Paula Devery in Religious Studies and English, Sarah Wheeler in Mathematics and Lesley Davies in Social Sciences. We are grateful to have Lynaire Parish in the Health and PE department until the arrival of Sarah Adams in week 9.

Our student leaders have a vital and important role to play in the life of the school. This year their key message continues to be about "sisterhood" and this was certainly seen (and heard!) at Sports Day last week. The entire Year 13 cohort are committed to our school and looking at ways to strengthen the bonds that exist both within and between year levels. It is heartening to see the pride they have for their school. Cont.

2 Principal cont Thank you for your on-going commitment and support and for the effort you have put into preparing your daughter for the start of the school year.

We look forward to working in partnership with you to enable your daughter(s) to achieve to the very best of their ability and develop the skills to be successful. No reira tena kotou tena kotou tena tatou katoa. Maria Potter Principal Welcome We welcome the following staff to SHC: Deborah Blythen Science Tia Brown Science Lesley Davies Social Sciences Paula Devery English and Religious Studies Lucy Paul Religious Studies Sarah Wheeler Mathematics We also welcome Lynaire Parish teaching temporarily in the Health and Physical Education Department. Powhiri welcoming students, staff and whānau to SHC

3 Board of Trustees If you would like to come along to our next BOT meeting and find out just exactly what we do, we will be meeting Wednesday 27 March from 7.00pm to 8.30pm in the school library. If you would like to have a chat with our Board Chair, you can call Richard Te One on 021 446 167. Make a difference and be involved in your student's school – join the BOT! Attendance

Student attendance, along with effective teaching, has the greatest influence on student engagement and achievement and we know that irregular attendance may be an early indicator of problems with student motivation or teaching effectiveness.

We also know that students with high absenteeism are less likely to succeed in their learning, and if a student misses 5 school days each term, or one day a fortnight, they will miss the equivalent of one year of school over 10 years.

Unfortunately, as the level of absenteeism grows, the difficulty of re-engaging in learning can grow exponentially.

Parents and Boards of Trustees are legally responsible to ensure students' regular attendance at school. Our focus for 2019 is to have 90% attendance or more for all students. To help us achieve this goal, we have implemented a schoolwide, consistent approach to managing lateness and attendance, that holds students accountable. This approach has been widely accepted by staff and students, and as a result, we are seeing an improvement already.

A reminder that students are expected to be in class and ready to learn by 8.45am every day, and to be in class on time for every lesson.

We do appreciate that there are times that traffic is held up and as we move into the autumn/winter months, traffic tends to get busier. Please factor this into your leaving times. Absence Please remember to contact the school office if your daughter is going to be absent for any reason. You will find our absence process on the website https://www.sacredheartcollege.school.nz/sacred_heart_ college_lower_hutt_absences 2018 Hutt City Scholastics Awards Congratulations to Dux Maia Cunningham and Proxime Accessit Amber Woolcock on receiving 2018 Hutt City Scholastic Awards in December.

Amber Woolcock, Maia Cunningham with Mayor Ray Wallace Exciting Opportunity for Year 10 Mathematics Students! Sacred Heart College is taking part in the Otago Junior Maths Challenge this April. Students will answer problem-solving questions and could win a cash prize. Please see your Mathematics teacher for an entry form. Cost $5.00 If you have any questions, please email Miss Booker at bookerc@sacredheartcollege.school.nz

4 Sports Day Sports day 2019 was extremely successful. The day began with students rushing over to the Hutt Rec in some amazing costumes chanting, singing and displaying their House spirit.

The mood was incredibly positive from the beginning of the day as the students grouped together in anticipation of what was to come. The chants were loud and the atmosphere was extremely positive as each House gathered together to show their House pride with a sense of Sisterhood and togetherness strongly felt.

Once the day began the field was filled with students competing. The attendance was very high and whether it was social or competitive events, it was wonderful to see large numbers of students from each House giving it their all. The encouragement and support between students was noticeable and represented our sense of togetherness as Houses and Sacred Heart students. As a student who has witnessed five Athletics days, Athletics day 2019 was special. The smiles on each student's face was great to see and the pride and Sisterhood really showed through with the loud House chants.

The day also saw new records set and champions prevail.

A huge congratulations to Tuuaari Topp for setting a record in discus. Congratulations to the following girls who won in each age group; so much training and hard work goes into achieving your results, so keep up the good work. Championship Points: Junior: 1st Danielle Currie (9MY) 18pts 2nd Keira Smith (9TN) 14pts 3rd Emalise Alding (9TN) 12pts Intermediate: 1st Selai To'ia (11DN) 26pts 2nd Anya Dunlop-Brown (11DN) 24pts 3rd Nina Buot (11DN) 10pts Senior: 1st Charlotte Floodsmith-Ryan (13BD) 24pts 2nd Sanna Aumua (12AT) 12pts 3rd= Pinomi Manulai'atea (13BD), Bree Sinclair (12MO), Tuuaari Topp (13MB) 10pts There could only be one winner on the day however, each House gave it their all.

The results at the end of day were: 1st: Siena 2nd: Barbier 3rd: Avila 4th: Lourdes 5th: Aubert 6th: Lisieux Siena came out on top taking out the first House event of the year. Congratulations to House captain Hanna Baldwin, the House Leaders and all the students in Siena for winning Athletics Day 2019. A huge congratulations goes out to all the other Houses and their members for their participation during the day's events. You represented your houses amazingly.

A lot of hard work goes into Athletics day and it is important to thank the teachers and staff who made the day possible. Thank you to all staff involved for setting up at 7.00am to ensure students could participate and have the best day possible. To conclude, each student should feel proud when reflecting on Athletics day. The sisterhood shown and pride in our school was beautiful to see and simply made this year's Athletics day a huge success. Caelin Patterson Head of Sport

5 Leadership Mass International Students On 26 February some of our new International Students attended the Hutt City Mayoral Welcome for international students at the Council.

On Friday 1 March students will also be welcomed at the International Student Mayoral Welcome in Wellington where they will meet the Mayor of Wellington as well as other international students in the Wellington region. Pictured with (back L-R) Deputy Mayor David Bassett, SHC Homestay Manager Michelle Te Kata, SHC International Student Manager Sarah Knowles, and International Relations Manager Mayoress Linda Goss-Wallace

6 Host Families We have a group of around 30 Japanese students arriving on 28 July and leaving on 10 August 2019. We need warm and welcoming host families who can host two students in each household. Students can share a bedroom. We are looking for families who have a daughter at Sacred Heart College. Host Families will be paid. If you are able to host, please contact the Homestay Manager: Michelle Te Kata tekatam@sacredheartcollege.school.nz Parent Information Evening on NCEA / BYOD and Cyber Safety On Thursday 21 February we held an information evening with three workshops. The first one covered the ins and outs of NCEA.

The second workshop was a hands-on workshop to explore the different types of information that can be accessed through the Kamar Parent Portal and the SchoolApp. The final workshop discussed issues of cybersafety and how parents can support their children to be safe online.

The workshops were well received by those who attended. When organising these evenings, we would like to meet the needs of parents in the types of information they would like to receive from us to support their daughters in their education. In order for us to do this better, we would be grateful if you would please take two minutes to complete the survey using this link: https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=N- 7t9ZOHvUeALl8- D4Pg8h7ogRY37iNBl8gRB5IyBdpURTRKM0lTUUdUUTU1NTZT RkQ2SlVGOVowUy4u If you were one of the many parents who attended on Thursday 21 February, we would welcome your feedback on the evening.

Please email Babette Moehricke with any comments you have: moehrickeb@sacredheartcollege.school.nz Thank you, Babette Moehricke Deputy Principal Uniform Winter blouses and ties required for the start of Term 2 are available at the uniform shop from Thursday 4 April. To give more opportunity to purchase winter uniform before the end of Term 1, in addition to normal shop hours, the uniform shop will be open on the following days in the last week of term: Tuesday 9 April 8.00am-9.00am Wednesday 10 April 8.00am-9.00am Online ordering is available under the Uniforms tab on the school website. Please allow two working days after payment has been made before picking up uniforms.

Library It is with great pleasure that we are introducing our new team of Student Librarians for 2019. Although some of the team were not able to attend for the photograph, the majority did and are looking forward to representing the Library. Samantha Wallis is our new Head Student Librarian and has come into the role with lots of ideas for the year ahead. We look forward to welcoming everyone over the coming year; it will be a busy one. We will continue to run our monthly Poetry Café, Book Club and will introduce some arts and crafts groups. Our Library Week will take place in Term 3 and we have a couple of charitable organisations, close to Samantha's heart, which we are hoping to support this year.

Individual photographs of our student librarians will be on display by the issuing desk so if any of our students have any questions, please feel free to approach them to help you. Mrs Denice Asprey, Library Manager Give your school uniforms the A+ treatment at SHC's preferred Dry Cleaning Service. 229 High Street Hutt Central Lower Hutt Tel 04 569 9734

7 Helpful tips child/teenager mental health Three helpful cues to manage screen time https://www.theparentingplace.com/technology/threeeasy-stopping-cues-to-help-you-wage-war-againstsquare-eyes/ Music Itinerant Tutors' Music Concerts At the end of last year we had a most successful concert in the staffroom, which was filled to overflowing with parents, families and friends.

The range of items, styles and standards of performance was wonderful. It was our fourth and definitely most well supported concert of the year. Thank you to everyone who came.

Girls who are learning an instrument or voice have the opportunity to perform in these one-hour events. The first for this year will be at the beginning of Term 2 with a focus on girls who are learning an instrument for the first time, but others will be included. Itinerant Music Lessons These are pretty much all under way now. If your daughter has signed up but not got into a lesson, please ask her to come and see Rachael Widrig in the Music office at 8.45am urgently. If your daughter is hiring a musical instrument from school, you will shortly receive a hire form.

Any questions you have about the programme, please email widrigr@sacredheartcollege.school.nz Music Groups These all operate in lunchtimes and are 50 minutes long.

Girls have been asked to sign up and are expected to come to the venue at the beginning of lunch with their food. There will be a short time to eat and then the rehearsals start. Girls will be released back to class five minutes before the start of Period 5. A roll is taken. If your daughter can not attend, she needs to come to see the staff member in charge of the group to explain why. There are still spaces if your daughter has missed this information, so please speak to the Music staff.

Monday: Ensemble (for beginner learners – not piano or voice) Tuesday: Choir - all welcome Wednesday: Jazz Band Thursday: Orchestra Friday: Barbershop Rock bands: If girls want to form or be part of one, speak to the Music staff and we will help them get a group together. These will operate independently, but staff are available from time to time to help. We look forward to a great year of Music making and fun. Mrs Rosemary Russell, Mr Mike Isaacs, Mr Izac Woodall and Mrs Rachael Widrig Congratulations To Year 10 student violinist Chloe Bothwell (10PD) who at the end of last year successfully auditioned for the 2019 New Zealand Secondary Schools' Symphony Orchestra (NZSSSO).

This year the NZSSSO had a particularly high number and standard of applicants, many of whom are working at or above the grade 8 level. This is Chloé's first time to audition and she's done exceptionally well and earned herself a position amongst NZ's top secondary school musicians to represent their schools at a national level. They will meet in Christchurch during April for five days of intensive rehearsals and a public concert.

Chloe was also selected to participate in a special rehearsal with Orchestra Wellington - directed by Marc Taddei - this is a collaboration between Orchestra Wellington and selected young musicians within the Wellington region.

8 Summer Sport We have had a great start to the Summer Sport season with some impressive success from our student athletes together with some solid team performances. Mia Scrimgeour – Golf Champion In early January Mia Scrimgeour (11DN) competed in the National Maori Golf Championships winning the Matchplay in the Women's Division.

Mia is now on a 1 handicap. She also competes in the school Golf team alongside two of our junior students helping them with their game. Great job Mia. Athletics Anya Dunlop-Brown (11DN) and Selai To'ia (11DN) competed over 2-3 February at the Wellington Senior Athletic Champs.

The girls achieved podium placings with the following results in the U16 Women's age group: Anya Dunlop-Brown: 2nd in Triple Jump and Javelin, 3rd in 80m Hurdles Selai To'ia: 3rd in High Jump, Shot Put and Discus. Senior Touch Tournament The annual College Sport Wellington Touch tournament was held on the parched Fraser Park fields in February with the relatively young Senior Team finishing 3rd overall. This is a great result as there are several junior players in the team coming with a wealth of experience.

Canoeing Zara Woolcock (10SW) placed 3rd in the U16 Women's K4 500 and 4th Oceania for the U16 Women's K4 500 at the recent Canoe Racing New Zealand National and Oceania Championships.

Well done Zara. Basketball The annual Maori National basketball tournament was held in Rotorua over Auckland anniversary weekend. Three of our Year 11 students represented Te Awa Kairangi for the Under 17 Kotiro team, Brooke McKenzie (11TF), Peta Apineru (11DN) and Tayla-Kei Rahui-Laulau (11DN). They placed second in their pool to get through to the semifinals which they won against Morehu, another Wellington based iwi. The grand final was against Te Arawa, Rotorua's home team, where the girls come away second best (final score 28-20). Well done girls. We are looking forward to an exciting year of Basketball ahead.

Jyordanna Davey (11DN) has been selected to represent NZ Elite, an organisation that was established to create character building experiences catered to Developing and Elite individual youth athletes. Jyordanna has been selected to play in the NZ ELITE Varsity Young Women's Teams, who will play in the AAU Rocky Mountain Showcase Tournament held in Utah in June 2019. As one of our youngest players in the squad Jyordanna will no doubt contribute with her killer left-hand post moves, ability to read the game and make on court adjustments. HoopNation which hosts the largest men's, women's and combined youth tournament annually was held in Tauranga last Labour Weekend.

Year 11 students Tia-Calais Remuera, Nina Buot and Jyordanna Davey (all 11DN) were selected for the HoopNation tournament team that competed in the Eltham Melbourne Tour which is the largest youth tournament in the World. The team won the championship in the girls U16 grade (final score 35-32) which was a great achievement for them in their competitive journey as representative players.

9 MTB Club This was my first time out on the bike in a while and I really enjoyed it. It was a fun social atmosphere and a great way to meet new people of all year levels. It is also a great way to go to different locations as we go somewhere new every month. Marie As it was my first time on a (new) bike in a while it was a great challenge to endure. It was also good to explore other mountain bike parks in Wellington. I look forward to riding again in a different location next month. Erin Lime Scooters On its app, users are told the following rules and regulations:

A helmet is required

Do not ride on the sidewalk

Don't ride downhill

Have a valid driver's licence

You are 18 years or older

Ride at your own risk We have very few students at school who are 18 years old or older.

Can parents please monitor this, as we would not expect to see SHC students in uniform riding the scooters. Gear Up with Kathmandu for up to 60% off Kathmandu branded gear Check your email for the letter inviting you to an exclusive shopping promotion from Friday 15 March to Sunday 17 March Offer valid only at Petone Store Restricted to SHC staff, students and parents Present the letter for free Summit Club membership We look forward to seeing you there!